At PDAC 2026, Mark Selby of Canada Nickel Company sat down to discuss the Crawford Project and the broader Timmins district.
The conversation started on a recurring concern as many still question whether low-grade nickel deposits can work. Selby pushed back on that view. He argued that scale, not grade, now drives project economics.
Meanwhile, global demand continues to rise. The industry needs multi-million-tonne deposits, especially outside Indonesia. This sets the context for what he calls a shift in how nickel projects are evaluated.
Economic Even at Low Grades
Selby pointed to operating margins as the key metric. The company expects roughly $30 per tonne in value against $12 in costs. That implies strong margins over a long mine life. In addition, large-scale equipment has changed how these deposits are mined.
However, the comparison to older high-grade camps still lingers. Selby referenced Voisey’s Bay as one of the last large high-grade discoveries. Today, most new discoveries are smaller. Therefore, scale has become more important than grade.
District Scale And Funding Structure
Canada Nickel has built a large land package in Timmins. The company has drilled multiple targets with a high success rate. Several deposits may show better strip ratios than the Crawford project. Selby noted it may not be the best asset, just the first.
Funding remains a key focus. The company outlined a $2.5 billion package supported by debt, tax credits, and strategic partners like Samsung SDI. In addition, carbon capture could store 1.5 million tonnes of CO₂ annually. This positions the project within a low carbon supply chain.
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